


giving life above ground a shot

by Alvar



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), DCU
Genre: Canon Compliant, Charlie stays, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Gen, One Shot, POV Astra Logue, Pre-Slash, or more like enemies to acquaintances to relucant friends to good buddies to possible lovers, until it's not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28527087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alvar/pseuds/Alvar
Summary: "Though Astra hates admitting it, there's something about Charlie that gives her hope for herself. Hope that she can thrive on Earth just as much as she did in Hell. So Astra antagonizes her, the only logical thing to do."Astra's POV from the moment she goes back to Earth to the season finale.
Relationships: Astra Logue & Team Legends, Charlie/Astra Logue, John Constantine & Astra Logue
Kudos: 2





	giving life above ground a shot

**Author's Note:**

> astra/charlie are the best and i can't believe it took me this long to write something about them.  
> hope you enjoy!
> 
> if there are any mistakes, feel free to tell me. english isn't my first language. also formatting might look a little weird, i tried to fix it as much as i could.

Astra takes faith into her own hands for once and she grabs onto Ava. She’s back on Earth, the place she hasn’t been to for years, and it’s a little scary and a whole lot liberating. She meets the team that she has been fighting against all this time and they all hate her (except for John, because he has a bleeding heart apparently), so at least that is the same as Hell. Charlie however, is different. For some reason, Charlie seems to understand something about her, something not even Astra has discovered yet. It's kind of annoying, this unknown, and Astra makes sure to avoid Charlie as much as she can. 

They discover Dionysus’s Cup and Astra gets to experience a Legends mission. (she can’t believe they’re all still alive). She gets teamed up with Charlie and it takes everything in Astra to not punch that stupid, up to no good, grin off her face. Or maybe something else, something a little less violent and a little more affectionate, Astra hasn’t decided yet. But no, punch, it's definitely punch. 

Though Astra hates admitting it, there's something about Charlie that gives her hope for herself. Hope that she can thrive on Earth just as much as she did in Hell. So Astra antagonizes her, the only logical thing to do. They fight at the sorority tea party and Astra doesn’t care that Charlie is upset with her, she _doesn’t_ . What she does care about is that everyone is trying to change her and won’t get the hell off her back. So she snaps and storms off, ready get this all over with and blow up that _stupid_ fraternity house with her improvised molotov cocktail. Maybe she shouldn’t have looked so murderous, because Charlie finds her. 

“Wait, Astra, no no no!” Charlie moves in front of her. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m done listening to you.” Astra grabs her lighter.

“Fine, then don’t listen to me. Listen to yourself.” Charlie quickly responds. “Come on, you know this isn’t right.” Something uncomfortable twists inside Astra.

“The thing is, I don’t know that. Where I’m from, I had to fight to survive. This is all I know– this is what life has made me.” Astra clicks on her lighter. “I am not gonna change– not for you or your stupid team or _anyone._ ”

“Blimey no– we don’t want you to give up who you are.” Something in Charlie’s voice, something earnest, makes Astra falter. Her hand that holds the lighter lowers. She meets Charlie’s eyes. “Look– when I joined the Legends I was a punk. There wasn’t a rule I couldn’t break.” There’s a grin on Charlie’s face. “And guess what, I still am– I just don’t have to hurt people to survive anymore, because I have _them_.”

Astra clicks her lighter close and sighs, some of the tension in her shoulders ebbing away. 

“Fine, so I don’t burn down a house.” Astra says, tone still a little clipped. “But what if I don’t want to dress as a moose? Or sit through one of your interminable team meetings?” 

Charlie smiles at her, almost fond if Astra would read into it. Which she _won’t_. 

“Then we still have a place for you.” The uncomfortable feeling inside Astra slowly unwinds. Charlie is still looking at her with that same smile and Astra might just actually believe what she’s saying. The moment gets broken by a voice behind Charlie. Oh yuck, it’s _Nate_. 

“Did you come to party down?” He walks up to them, his hat on sideways like an idiot. 

“No, we’ve come to get the chalice and you.” Astra is fine with just getting the chalice and leaving the adult frat boy, but Charlie continues before Astra can tell her. “Come on Nate, you can’t stay here.” Charlie moves next to Astra, standing just a bit too close as her arm brushes against Astra’s. Astra doesn’t move away.

“Sure I can– Dion says that as long as he has followers he has the power to run this place and grant people that cup.” Astra shares a look with Charlie. “Thought that’d be useful information for you. Can’t really remember why– either way, I’m very important here, so excuse me.” … okay, maybe Nate isn’t _that_ much of an idiot. Nate starts chanting ‘shotgun Nate’ while he walks away and Astra quickly revokes her previous statement. Charlie turns to her with this glint in her eyes which usually means a stupid plan is about to get formed and Astra sighs internally. She’s still stuck in Hell isn’t she? (but Charlie grins at her and bumps her shoulder as they walk back to John’s house and maybe this kind of Hell isn’t that bad).

They throw a party and it’s kind of a dud and Astra stopped paying attention when the overly excited, chattering college girl started talking. No offense to her, but Astra wants to perform a lobotomy on herself when she opens her mouth.

“-ask ourselves, what would Astra do?” Astra registers Charlie’s voice while she’s inspecting this one spot on the floor, which makes Astra glance over. Everyone is looking at her, waiting for her to answer and Astra can’t help the satisfied grin that comes onto her face.

“If you really want to win, it’s not enough to be good at your own game. You also have to take out the competition.” She tells them, moving to stand in front of the group. “So I am talking-” She turns around with a flourish. “Sabotage.” Charlie is grinning at her and Astra feels a rush of something that she decides to ignore shoot through her. 

Sara turns her head towards her. Astra wonders how she’s so accurate.

“Alright, what’s the plan?” She asks and Astra smiles. Time to _win_.

***

The mission goes well and Astra feels accomplished and something akin to supported. It feels kind of good. Astra turns around and the other two Fates are here. Whatever Astra just felt cracks and falls away. Astra has a debt that needs to be paid, so she brings them to the Waverider. They ask her to help them operate the Loom. (more like demand, geez Atropos chill out a little bit). (yuk she’s starting to sound like Nate). Astra hears the word Loom and sees her mothers’s face flash in front of her and knows she can’t say no to that. Somewhere along the way, Lachesis’s words get to her and black isn’t black anymore, white isn’t white and Astra doesn’t know what she _wants_ any longer. However, she does know that she wants the rings and that the Gary guy stole them and refuses to give them back. Lachesis suggests more persuasive tactics and leaves Astra to deal with it. Finally something she knows, something clear. But Gary decides to open his big mouth and now Astra loses the little bit of clarity she had left. He mentions the good moments, actually sounding sincere and Astra supposes that for all he’s an idiot, he also has a big heart. Astra remembers strawberries and her mother’s smiling face and _shit_ – she needs to get the Legends back on the ship. Before she can do that, Atropos is behind her and throws one of her stupid looking knives and– a knife through the heart _really_ isn’t a good feeling, huh– and everything goes black.

***

They were stuck in TV-shows and John would have sacrificed everything for her happiness and there is a _lot_ to unpack there, but Astra’s mind is more preoccupied by the fact that Charlie is working with her sisters. Charlie wasn’t supposed to go back– she’s the strong one out of the two of them. How could she? But before Astra can put all the blame on her, she remembers Lachesis's face as she easily crushed everything Astra believed to be true and her anger fades. 

They make a plan, a stupid, impossible-sounding, death-trap of a plan. She didn’t expect anything else from the Legends. Astra helps John destroy the Loom, being a conduit for magic and all that. It works, she sees her mother, she hears their song and– Lachesis. Her face flashes in front of Astra’s eyes and she can’t hold on to the magic anymore. _She replaced her mother_. Astra can feel herself getting sick, the room around her is starting to spin. John grabs her arm and Astra looks up and sees Atropos die along with the loom and they run, run, run and Astra focuses on the burn in her lungs in an attempt to forget her startling realisation. It almost works. Almost.

Astra confides in John, John who seems to be the closest thing to _safe, home, family, home_ Astra has, and she sees conviction and love in his eyes and Astra already regrets adding doubt to that gaze in the following seconds.

“You listen to me, yeah? You’re still her daughter.” John says and Astra makes sure to keep his gaze when she asks the question she’s afraid to get an answer to.

“Whose? Natalie? Or Lachesis?” 

John looks away.

***

Lachesis got to Charlie. Charlie, who walks around without a spring in her step, in boring clothes and without a grin that means she’s up to no good. Charlie, who seems to be a shell of the person she used to be. Something inside Astra stutters, but just like so many times before she doesn’t have time to address it and pushes it away. (also, having feelings? Horrifying, Astra isn’t doing that shit). Charlie won’t fight, even though Charlie is always up for a fight, that’s why she and Mick get along so well. Charlie won’t fight and Astra makes up her mind. If Charlie won’t stand up to Lachesis, then she will. It works, sort of, but Lachesis manages to escape. They fight the encores, but they just won’t die and– Charlie is here. She brought them the Hell weapons and she’s going after Lachesis. Astra manages to catch Charlie’s eyes and she grins like she’s up to no good and there’s a flutter in Astra’s stomach. 

***

They go to a punk show from Charlie’s band and the coin that rests heavily on Astra’s chest goes back into John’s hands. He smiles at her, relief visible on his face and the feeling of _safe, home, family, home_ returns. Maybe the world above ground is worth a try after all. Then Charlie delivers her _idiotic_ speech and Astra follows her while the rest of the Legends go back onto the ship. _Goodbye my ass_.

"This is dumb you know.” Astra says and she sounds a little too hurried, a little too much like she cares. Charlie turns to look at her. “The whole ‘putting down roots’ thing.” Astra clarifies, this time with her usual drawl in place. “You keep telling me about this stupid team that you love, which is oh so powerful. Yet you’re going to leave.” Charlie furrows her brow. 

“That’s got nothing to do with it.” Charlie counters and Astra lets out a laugh. 

“No? You couldn’t just put down your roots with your team?"

“I don’t-” Charlie sighs. “We’re on a time traveling spaceship, not really a place to do that, is it?” 

“Home doesn’t have to be a place.” Astra checks her nails. “It can be people.” John’s face flashes in front of her eyes, quickly followed by a shadow that looks oddly similar to Charlie. Astra blinks it away. 

Charlie is looking at her, eyes calculating, when a smile breaks out on her face.

“Are you getting soft on me, Astra?”

“God no.” Astra quickly snaps. Charlie’s smile widens. “I just think that you might do something you’re going to regret. Let’s say I’m returning a favor here.” 

Charlie lets out a chuckle and she shakes her head. Her eyes fall away to the ground, her face sobering up and she looks up again. 

“So stay?" she asks, her voice sounding tentative, which is a little weird coming from Charlie.

"Yes. Stay." 

Charlie smiles at Astra, not teasing like before, but soft and, daresay, fond. Astra rolls her eyes and turns to leave, knowing that Charlie will be following her. There’s a flutter in Astra’s stomach and a small smile stuck on her face. Astra decides maybe having feelings isn’t the _worst_ thing in the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> ... and then they go on a date and kiss and live happily ever after, yay!
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated! (though comments a lot more lol)


End file.
